Thursday, 10 April 2014

Regreening in Tigray, Ethiopia - ARI Update 1 - 2014

Picture 1 An
agroforestry parkland in Tigray on the road between Abr’ha Weatsbeha and
Hawzen. It is dominated by a mix of Faidherbia
albida and Acacia nilotica

This re-greening update has a focus on the
Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. I had the pleasure to re-visit the Region after
an absence of four years. It allowed me to look with a fresh mind at what has
been achieved in Tigray in restoring degraded land to production. Many people outside Ethiopia somehow continue
to associate Ethiopia in general and possibly Tigray in particular, with the
shocking pictures which were made in a famine relief camp in Korem in 1984/85.
These picturestriggered Bob Geldof into
organizing his Live Aid concerts for Ethiopia in July 1985.If one would now ask someone in Europe or the
USA how he or she perceives Ethiopia, there’s a fair chance that the answer
will be something like “a poor country where many people are starving”. It is
true that life for many smallholder farmers continues to be precarious, but it
is also true that Ethiopia is an economic tiger with high growth rates.Ethiopia has invested significantly in
restoring degraded lands to production and Tigray has set an example.

The
restoration/re-greening achievements of Tigray (Ethiopia)

Let me start with presenting some conclusions
and then show some images.

► The scale of restoration of
degraded land in Tigray is unique in Africa and possibly even unmatched by
anything achieved elsewhere in the world. I’ve visited 27 countries in Africa
and several on other continents, but I’ve never seen recent restoration at the
scale at which this has been done in Tigray.

►To put it in other words….the people of Tigray may have moved more earth
and stone during the last 20 years to reshape the surface of their land than
the Egyptians during thousands of years to build the pyramids.In the early 1990s every able-bodied villager
in Tigray had to contribute three months of voluntary labor to dig infiltration
pits or to construct terraces, bunds and other conservation works. This was
reduced later to 40 days/year and currently it is 20 days/year.

►The large-scale restoration on China’s Loess Plateau is a well-known
success story. However, the Loess Plateau has deep and very fertile soils,
which are relatively easy to shape.The
conditions for restoration in Tigray are much more difficult than on the Loess
Plateau. In particular on the steep slopes, the soils are often shallow and
poor in fertility.This puts what Tigray
has achieved in a different perspective.

►The scale of restoration activities is not well known. There are
estimates, but they are probably overlapping for different techniques.
Nevertheless, about 80% of all cultivated land in East and Central Tigray is
treated with one or more soil and water conservation techniques.Several hundred thousand hectares are under so-called
exclosures. These are degraded areas in which no cutting and grazing is
permitted. This allows the natural regeneration of vegetation. Besides this tens
of thousands of kilometers of rock bunds and terraces have been constructed
along (often on steep) slopes.

►The policy of the Government of Ethiopia is to plant 100 million Faidherbia albida trees to improve soil
fertility.In several parts of Tigray, Faidherbia albida is found on cultivated
land and in some places it is regenerating. Considering the rainfall, soils,
land use and other characteristics of the landscapes in Tigray, this Region
alone may be able to add 100 million Faidherbia
trees through the protection and management of natural regeneration of this
species.

►Because rainfall now infiltrates on the slopes, groundwater in the
valleys is recharged. Hundreds of shallow wells have been dug, which allow farm
families to irrigate vegetables during the dry season and to grow fruit trees.
This means that if crops fail due to bad rainfall, a growing number of families
can fall back on irrigation during the dry season.This option did not exist before they began
to conserve soil and water.

►Because of the large-scale investments by local communities and their
development partnersin restoration of
degraded land, many smallholder farm families are now more food secure than
they used to be.

►All the investments in landscape restoration have helped farmers adapt
to climate change. They are better able to cope with extreme weather conditions
than was the case in the past.

►Much has been achieved, but is everything perfect? The answer is
simple…no, it is not. The vegetation which regenerates in area closures is
protected, but not sustainably managed and exploited by the village communities.
It seems that protection still prevails, even though most policy makers are
aware of the need to increase benefits for communities. If natural regeneration
would be thinned and pruned, the environmental and economic benefits local communities
would increase. This is vital for the longer-term sustainability of what has
been achieved during the last 20 years.

►Further improving the Tigray model of restoration of important, because
another key target of the Government of Ethiopia is to restore 15 million ha of
degraded land in the country. This is a hugely ambitious target, which will not
be easy to achieve. It will require more knowledge of restoration practices in
other Regions of Ethiopia. What works where and why and what is the potential
for scaling these practices? It will also require significant capacity building
as well as additional funding.

Some images illustrating restoration achievements in
Tigray

Mark Dodd, UK documentary maker, (known for the
production of “The man who stopped the desert”http://www.1080films.co.uk/project-mwsd.htm) joined the visit to Tigray to explore
opportunities for making a documentary about the transformation of environment
and livelihoods during the last 20 years. Below you’ll find a link to a 90
second trailer, which he put on you tube within48 hours upon his return in the UK.I know the region, joined the filming and was surprised and moved by
this trailer.

Picture 2 shows the road between Wukro and
Abr’ha Weatsbaha.This land was barren
about 15 years ago.

Picture 3 shows a mountain region just outside Adwa
on the road to Adigrat.It’s not clearly
visible on this picture, but infiltration pits have been dug systematically along
the contours on the steep slopes.

Picture 4
is a typical image taken in the area between Hawzen and Zongi.

Picture 5 is taken in Mugulat on the
road between Adwa and Hawzen.It shows
terracing constructed on less steep slopes.It does not show well the re-greening of the slopes in the distance and
the fact that we are standing with our back to a significant stand of young
Juniper trees.

Picture 6
shows a valley with dry season cultivation of maize.Look at the re-vegetated slopes.

Picture 7
below shows in more detail that conservation works have been constructed on all
slopes.

Picture 8
shows that farmers prune Acacia etbaica
on their cultivated fields. This species dominates natural regeneration in area
closures where it is not managed and usually develops into a low bush.

The 90
second trailer and the 8 pictures reveal just some of the Tigray experience
with restoration of degraded land.What
has been achieved in Tigray during the last 20 years is an under-reported
success story that should be shared with a wider audience.

For more
information about VOICES and W4RA (see ARI update 2013 no. 4), you can contact:

4 comments:

I was a 10 years old kid in Axum during the famine of 1985 that devastated Tigray claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands peasants betrayed by the land and their government. It is a moment in time that will never leave my psyche. However, fast-forward to 2014 and a land that in a not too distant past was lush and 40% virgin forest, and became severely degraded throughout the 20th century to the barren and desolate land of the 1980 is remarkably recovering through the hard work and dedication of the people. It is a testament to what can be achieved through the collective effort human beings. It makes me happy to see my homeland rising and returning to economic and environmental prosperity. Thanks for sharing.